GREEN RIVER – Sweetwater County was already buzzing with locals and visitors. Wyomingites and travelers from nearby states were planning to attend Flaming Gorge Days. After the pandemic, the event finally made a comeback with the theme “Wyoming Proud.”
On Railroad Avenue, industrialized trains rumble on the tracks and couples are seen walking on the bridge, leading to the pavilion on the other side of town.
Facing the tracks are various little watering holes, where friends gather to celebrate birthdays, promotions, anniversaries, retirements or relax with a cold one after a long day at the office.
On Thursday, June 23, customers at a well-known social establishment on this street had no idea that one man was going to ruin the lives of a small community.
‘A scar on this beautiful little town’
As the community still mourns over the loss of their own, Tennessee native Donna Lee Frei paid her respects at The Embassy Tavern.
“I had to go inside and do that,” said Frei. “I hate what he did and I feel so bad for everyone. They were so kind to me though and I’m thankful for that.”
Frei still doesn’t know what set her boyfriend Douglas Wolf off the night he entered the tavern and started shooting at unsuspecting patrons and employees.
She had known Wolf for the past six years.
“He was a good friend of mine for quite a few years before we started dating.”
According to Frei, Wolf was diagnosed with stage 4 throat cancer three years ago. The couple were still living in Tennessee.
“He told me, ‘If I’m going to die, I’m going to sell everything and I would really love to go back to Green River, Wyoming because I went to high school there and I’ve always loved it there.’”
Frei said that in the past few months, his condition began to deteriorate. At six feet and one inch tall, he weighed 145 pounds.
On July 30, he was scheduled to have the tracheostomy removed.
“The ‘trach’ was very cumbersome, his throat was always in agony and in his mind, he thought he would be able to meet all expectations at work but his body just wouldn’t let him. He started getting really cranky about that,” she recalled.
Frei said that after trying to manage his pain with oxycodone, he went to Ponderosa Bar.
“Usually, when the two of us went out, we’d have two beers and then we’d go home,” she shared. “But that night, he drank quite a bit of booze and mixed it with those pain killers. He must’ve gotten into an argument at the bar because he was upset when he got back home.”
Frei opened the door for him and he pushed her aside. He went upstairs.
“I was still downstairs and I noticed he was awfully quiet. I was just having this sick feeling in my stomach like something was not right.
“Then I heard him loading his clip.”
Frei ran out of the house and stood behind her car in her driveway. Wolf walked out the front door, heading straight to her with the gun at his side.
“I tried to push him down, hoping I could get him off balance and he would fall down. I kept asking him, ‘What are you doing?’ He didn’t say one word and pushed me.”
Not knowing whether Wolf was going to cause harm to her, Frei ran down the alley behind their house. As she was weaving in and out of parked cars, he fired his gun twice at her.
“I never knew what kind of sound a bullet made as it whizzes by until that night. When it whistled by my ear, it scared the hell out of me. I really thought he was going to kill me.”
“This man told me he loves me. Suddenly, he wants to kill me. That thought still hasn’t left my mind.”
She thought she got hit by the third shot but she didn’t and kept running.
Frei kept knocking on doors until someone answered her request for help.
“The man in the last town home quickly invited me inside and called 911.”
Frei had just given Wolf’s description to the dispatcher when the emergency line began to receive multiple calls regarding a shooter on Bar Row in downtown Green River.
Officers were dispatched to a report of an active shooter at The Embassy Tavern Bar. It was reported the suspect entered the Embassy Tavern Bar and opened fire with a .22 Magnum Pistol killing two individuals, then continued to fire multiple times at other individuals in the bar. Another individual was shot as they were leaving out the back entrance of the bar. The suspect then followed the fleeing individuals out the back door before coming back inside the bar and then exiting out the front of the bar.
Law enforcement officers visited with her to get details about their incident. During questioning, Frei told officers that she had an idea where Wolf would probably hide.
“I told them he’s probably in the storage shed in Rock Springs. He keeps his camper there.”
In regards to why it took so long to take him into custody, Jaime Green, public information officer for the Green River Police Department, stated that in the initial investigation to locate Wolf, officers did not have the information as to what vehicle he left in. After it was determined who the probable suspect was, more information was gained as to what vehicle the suspect fled in and where he was going.
Wolf was located in a general area, north of Rock Springs, at approximately 1:30 a.m.
“Due to the size of the area, multiple buildings, vehicles, and it being dark, the area was locked down but our tactical operation wasn’t something we could conduct safely until we could assess more of the area and gain more information,” Green stated. “Once our teams were in place, we were able to take the suspect into custody, with minimal risk to the officer or public safety.”
Frei had a feeling he was going to die by suicide.
“He waited until they blew the door off,” Frei said. “Since he was lying on the bed in his camper, the officers didn’t see him right away. When he made eye contact, he pulled the trigger.”
Wolf was found in a camper inside the shop near the one he rents. He appeared injured, had a gun in his hand near his head, was breathing, but not otherwise moving. Attempts were made to determine if he was conscious. As this was happening, the gun in his hand discharged. The gun was secured and Wolf was taken out to get medical attention. He subsequently died at the hospital.
Frei began to think about the shooting victims.
“This is going to leave such a scar on this beautiful little town.”
Frei does not plan on living in Green River for long.
“I can’t stay here in this little town … even though I’ve felt so much love from this little town. The reminder is too much for me to handle,” she said.
“I would have rather had him come after me instead of hurting those people.”
Kim Travis, a 1992 Rock Springs High School graduate, had been friends with Wolf since junior high school. She currently resides in Colorado. They have been fans of the Colorado Avalanche professional hockey team for years. They were looking forward to watching the championship games.
While she was relaxing at home, she started receiving text messages from Wolf less than an hour after the shooting.
At 11:27 p.m., she read his confession on her phone screen: “Sunshine, I just killed some people. I’m f—ed up. TY for being a friend.”
“I’m still not sure how to process it,” said Travis. “I’m in complete shock.”
Travis was under the impression that public tips may have directed them to Wolf’s location.
“I never thought he could do something like this.”
The last message she received was, “I did some bad things tonight. Just know I will always love you and go AVS.”
Travis said that she wanted to delete the text messages since they haunt her but she wasn’t sure if the authorities needed them as evidence.
Travis also mentioned that Wolf was dealing with major health issues and was extremely depressed.
“I was expecting to find out he killed himself any day. My heart breaks for everyone affected,” she expressed. “It’s so tragic.”
“I could forgive suicide but I’m more upset over the lives he took and the lives he forever changed.”
Green River mayor Pete Rust said that he hopes that “at a minimum, we learn what led to this type of situation and how or what we can do to minimize or eliminate such incidents in the future.”
According to Julie Shockey, a Rock Springs licensed professional counselor, it’s very difficult to identify someone who is homicidal.
Shockey mentioned that while identifying someone who is suicidal may come with signs, it’s the opposite with someone who is homicidal.
“Other than changes in behavior, it is hard to say if a person will do harm to others,” Shockey shared. “They’re not going to say, ‘I’m going to go to a bar and I’m going to shoot people.’”
Of course, when someone verbally threatens to do physical harm to another, the police should be contacted immediately, she added.
Shockey suggests that when a person has intrusive thoughts, rather than suppressing them, they should try to divert thoughts by immersing themselves in a single activity that is not connected to the thought.
She also pointed out that being able to recognize thoughts as just thoughts instead of reality is important too.
“Let them pass through without consuming you,” said Shockey.
Identifying the triggers is an essential step as well. This can be done by keeping track of intrusive thoughts in a journal to determine a pattern, make notes about the day and try to figure out a time or activity that sets off the intrusive thought.
“Talk it out,” Shockey advised. “Don’t rule out therapy. It doesn’t have to be long-term therapy. It’s just a way to gain some coping skills.”
The three victims from the shooting that took place on June 23, 2022, at the Embassy Tavern and Bar, were identified as Aaron Sadler, Jessica Wells, and Brian Nussbaum. Sadler and Wells succumbed to their injuries resulting from gunshot wounds. Nussbaum is currently recovering from a gunshot wound.
The Embassy Tavern and Ponderosa Bar will host a three-day fundraiser for Sadler and Wells. Fundraising efforts will also assist Nussbaum with his medical bills.
According to Tina Porter, owner of The Embassy Tavern, Nussbaum has a long recovery.
“He’s doing better now,” said Porter. “We’re like a big family. Patrons go between places.”
“By having these fundraisers, we’re helping each other out. All donations will go to the three families.”
Porter noted that several hotels will be offering bereavement discounts for anyone needing a room over the weekend.
The schedule for the Green River Strong three-day fundraiser is as follows:
Food trucks will be on-site (Tips Kitchen and Food for Thought)
Local country band Wyoming Raised will be the evening’s entertainment.
10 a.m. – Pool Tournament ($20 buy-in)
3 p.m. – Pig Roast ($10 per plate)
8 p.m. Live music by Anabolic Audio
9 p.m. – Live music by Atlas Falls
7 p.m. to 9 p.m. – Extreme Music Bingo
Weekend prize winners will be announced as well.
Gift baskets will be available to bid on online soon.
A dart tournament will take place on July 23 at 7 p.m. Sign-up starts at 6 p.m. Proceeds from the event will go to the families as well.
“Aaron loved to play darts,” Porter recalls.
Porter has had a close relationship with Sadler and Nussbaum for a long time. She worked for Sweetwater County School District No. 2 as a sign language interpreter while they were students.
“Aaron was one of my students. When she got older, we started playing darts together in leagues.”
According to Porter, Sadler was getting ready to go back to school to get her nursing degree.
“She loved that Elvis pinball machine here,” she shared. “She still holds the Grand Champion spot.
Porter mentioned that Club 86 and The Hitching Post Restaurant and Saloon have been very helpful in raising donations for the victims.
“Brian was one of my students when I was a substitute teacher at the high school. I met his parents and he’s been best friends with our son, Joseph, since they met. We’ve all been very close for many years.”
Her husband Fred concurred.
“He doesn’t have a mean bone in his body,” said Fred. “He just wants to make friends and have fun.”
Porter knew Wells as a patron and as a server at The Hitching Post Restaurant and Saloon.
“She was always so happy and delightful,” Porter described.
Rock Springs resident Tamara Kendrick worked with Wells at Chill Grill.
“Jessie did not like conflict,” said Kendrick. “She was always joyful and joking with co-workers and customers. She was a down-to-earth person and a joy to be around.”
Bernadette Gunyan, owner of Chill Grill remembers Wells as “the most kindest sweetheart ever.”
“She always went above and beyond for anyone.”
Green River resident Chas Niemiec was at the American Legion when the shooting occurred.
“One of the bartenders from The Embassy sought safety after escaping. We immediately called 911 and locked down, not knowing where the shooter fled to,” Niemiec explained.
“It’s devastating,” she added. “What we thought would never happen here, just did.
“It’s senseless and horrific. So many people are affected. Lives lost and many lives have changed.”
The Embassy Tavern was closed on Friday, June 24 and Saturday, June 25. They reopened on Sunday, June 26.
Porter said that she “is just amazed with the support.” As soon as the door was unlocked, customers started pouring in to give money to the families.
“I hope we can heal, not only as individuals, but as a community and to keep these girls in our hearts and stay strong together.”
Even though, Wolf died from a self-inflicted gunshot, regular customers insist on taking shifts to protect the crew, locals and visitors at The Embassy Tavern.
“My patrons come in and make sure my bartenders are taken care of, which is amazing.”
“The last shooting in this town was 32 years ago. There is no logical reason for his actions.”
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